


to know that you now know it too

by sharkplant



Category: Preacher (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Between Episodes, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 15:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7538614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkplant/pseuds/sharkplant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At first she wasn't sure how to classify the heap of Texas-charred limbs, bloody strawberries and fire-extinguisher cream. ‘Cassidy?’ she hoped maybe it (hardly a him at this point) could still speak and she received a strained bark of a sound in return. She crossed her arms and make the active decision not to think about her life and her choices none too hard. ‘You seriously gotta stop dying on me.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	to know that you now know it too

**Author's Note:**

> ANGST. set during the night between _He Gone_ and _El Valero_. can be read as tulip/cass. title from Friendleader by PhemieC. un'beta'd.

Truth be told, in her anger, Tulip nearly stormed past the smoldering pile of friendly neighborhood vampire, faintly sizzling on the steps of All-Saints Congregational.

At first she wasn't sure how to classify the heap of Texas-charred limbs, bloody strawberries and fire-extinguisher cream.

‘Cassidy?’ she hoped maybe it (hardly a him at this point) could still speak and she received a strained bark of a sound in return.

She crossed her arms and make the active decision not to think about her life and her choices none too hard. ‘You seriously gotta stop dying on me.’

The responding string of noises, presumably a sentence of some kind, was unintelligible. For the the sake of conversation, Tulip pretended Cassidy, or what was left of him said, ‘Well last time was technically your fault, so…’

She offered an off-sympathetic face and sighed, realising she was gonna have to get her outfit dirty if she was gonna help him back on his feet. ‘The things I do for you,’ she crooned, wrapping an arm around shoulders, and dragging, sticky plasma and burnt blood suckering him to her side. Tulip guessed he would have screamed if his vocal chords worked right, instead all she heard was choked gurgling.

Holding Cassidy precariously against her hip, she dropped her skirt, laying it across the backseat of her Chevelle before coaxing Cass to lay against it. Better he stick to fabric than leather. Wasn’t the first time she’d driven without pants or skirt anyhow.

She checked around the property for any one else, townsfolk, asshole preacher, anyone. Nothing, just the orange sun drowning against the dusty horizon stinging her eyes. Tulip clambered into driver’s seat, ran a hand through her hair, glanced back at Cassidy clutching weakly at his body, mewling quietly.  She put the car into reverse.

‘Let’s go rob a blood bank, huh.’

* * *

There was no one on the street when Tulip pulled into her uncle’s drive. She unlocked the house first before going for the weakened vampire in the backseat.

‘Uncle?’ she called, not that she expected an answer. The lounge was empty. Was going to be fun playing hide-and-go-seek with dear Walter. A problem for the future Tulip. She decided to set up Cass in the bathroom.Tile was easier to clean than sheets of course.

Tulip settled him, not without protest, in the bathtub. ‘Sorry about the lack of red stuff.’ It had been surprisingly difficult to break into the donation van trailer sitting unattended in front of the town hall. So difficult in fact that she couldn’t. And as much as it frustrated her, it made sense. It was important cargo, even if it did make her life that much harder at the moment. ‘I’ll figure something out.’ She lent against the wall. ‘Would meat work? If there’s anything we ain’t short on in this town its meat.’

Cass gave a pitiful excuse for a shrug. _Worth a shot_ , was her thought dipped in his accent.

‘Alright. I’m gonna find where my uncle’s passed out and then I’ll pray the store is still open.’ Cass just sighed and settled as much as he could before nodding gently at her. _Not that I mind, but put on some pants first, love._

Tulip nodded begrudgingly; she _was_ half naked and covered in someone else’s blood.

‘Add getting changed to that list.’

* * *

Walter had, surprisingly, made it to his bed for once, the TV in his bedroom softly ticking over late-night infomercials. Tulip washed by the kitchen sink before sinking into some cleaner clothes and then back into her Chevelle, praying the entire drive over that the store would still be open this late on a Sunday. Wasn’t as if she couldn’t break in of course. She half wanted to, prove to herself she still could after the whole failed blood bank robbery.

Tulip grinned when she pulled into the lot and the store lights were out. The balaclava always felt so comforting against her face.

* * *

With the understanding she wasn't going to sleep tonight, Tulip brewed a large pot of coffee, fished around for a rare, untouched bottle of whiskey and her cigarettes, adding them the pile of meat trays she’d borrowed.

She knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Cass, it’s me.’ She looked through her selection. ‘I grabbed as much as I could. Few steaks, lots of mince. I hope its enough.’ She opened the door enough to throw the trays inside and shut it just as fast. Tulip didn’t breathe, listening for anything. Nothing. She exhaled.

There were few things that could scare Priscilla Jean Henrietta O’Hare. The screech of Carlos’ getaway car. Two lines on a pregnancy test. She had never imagined the stalking growl she heard from behind her bathroom door would freeze the blood in her veins.

For a moment she panicked; the door wasn’t at all secure and the lock was on the inside. Cassidy the vampire could very well knock it to kingdom come and drain her and Walter like juice-boxes.

Tulip let out a shaky breath and prayed to whoever was listening that Cass didn’t turn on her.

She had never been more relieve to hear, ‘Well that certainly did somethin’.’ Cassidy the shitfaced Irishman had returned.

Tulip bent slightly to collect her coffee, whiskey and cigarettes. ‘Can I come in?’

A pause. ‘Eh... Better not. I made a bit of a mess. ‘Sides. Don’t know if I could deal with ya bein’ any closer.’

Perhaps he hadn’t returned after all.

‘Right…’ Tulip slid down the door, thighs to her chest. ‘Good to hear ya using words again,’ she offered. She organised her things between the gap in her legs. ‘Feeling better?’

‘Aye. Sort-of. Everythin’s a bit new. How're you?’

Tulip pointedly cracked the whiskey and took a long drink. ‘Ya hear that?’

‘Sort-of?’

‘Well I drank about two shots of whiskey in one go, so you tell me how I’m doing.’

‘....Fair enough.’

She scrunched up her face and shook, before putting down the bottle and going about giving herself a cigarette. ‘Tell me if I'm wrong,’ she said, a cherry beginning to catch. She took a drag. ‘You got so offended by me saying you hadn't told him, so you stand out in the deadly Texas sun to prove a point to him?’

‘Pretty much. Well, I wasn't offended. I had actually told him 9 times what I am. Problem was, he wouldn't believe me.’ He paused. ‘May I have some whiskey please?’

Tulip laughed but it wasn't remotely near a happy sound. ‘You’ve got your vampire value meal. This,’ she picked up her bottle and shook it, ‘is mine. Between dealing with yours and Jesse’s bullshit, I god damn deserve it.’

‘Fair enough,’ Cassidy said again. The ensuing silence echoed off the cracked tile and against the door. Tulip smoked until she was ready to erupt.

‘God, seriously, what the fuck Cass? You could have died?

‘I knew he’d put me out.’

‘No you didn't.’

‘He’s me best mate! Course I knew.’

Tulip went for the coffee this time. ‘Still stupid.’ She poured some whiskey into the pot. Two birds.

‘What can I say? I’ve got a flair for the dramatic.’

She sighed. ‘You've got a fuckin’ death wish is what.’ She took a slurp of coffee.

‘You alright out there, love.’

‘Not really, no,’ she snapped. ‘You’re trying to get yourself killed because my boyfriend is pulling some almighty righteous bullcrap and wants nothing to do with me. After all of that, do you honestly think i’m alright?’ It wasn’t until Tulip licked her lips and tasted the sea that she noticed she was crying.

‘...It was a stupid question, I-’

“You’re damn right it was!’ She put down the coffee with a thud and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes and her nails into her scalp. Her cigarette lay abandoned on the floor.

‘Tulip…’

‘He called me an O’Hare,’ she sobbed. ‘Ya know what that name means around here? Trouble. And nothing but.’

‘You’re not-’

‘Yes I am.’

‘Okay, maybe yer are. But from what I can tell, you’re the best kind, sweetheart.’

Tulip rolled her eyes. ‘Oh fuck off, Cassidy. What the hell do you know about me? Nothing is what. You know jack squat about me.’ She cried, her words getting lost in the thick heat of her tear-strained throat. ‘I hurt. I hurt myself and I hurt other people and it’s all I’ve ever been good at. Breakin’ stuff.’

The old house was quiet for a moment; save only for the girl crying in the hallway.

‘Yer doing pretty okay with me, love.’

‘What?’

Cassidy sighed. ‘From where I am, I’d say yer doin’ a pretty fuckin’ stellar job of puttin’ me back to together. And I sure as screamin’ bloody hell don’t deserve a secon’ of it.’

Tulip sniffed, pulling herself back together, wiping her eyes on the shoulders of her shirt. ‘You’re sure you’re getting better?’

‘Wouldn’t be able to talk if I wasn’t.’

She stared at her feet. ‘Right.’ She pulled a bandanna from her front pocket, folding it, and tying it around her hair. ‘You’re gonna help me kick Jesse’s ass for this right?’

‘Wouldn’t dream of missing that, love.’

‘Good.’ She smiled a little.

‘One problem but.’

‘What?’

‘It’s gonna take me a bit more than a couple steaks to get me fightin’ fit.’

It was a dumb idea but it had to be said. ‘You could drink from me.’

‘No.’ The word was intoned far too seriously for Cassidy and Tulip dropped the concept immediately. ‘You wouldn’t be able to steal a whole cow would ya?’

‘All the way over from QMAP? I’d struggle to get it over dead unless it was already chopped into little pieces and priced at three ninety nine.’

‘Righto.’

‘So whats the plan?’ She turned to the door.

‘Yer not gonna like it…’

She rolled her eyes; she always hated playing this game. ‘What is it?’

‘Yer gonna hate me.’

‘Already kinda do. Spill.’

‘Honestly, I don’t like it meself-’

‘Jeez, Cassidy, spit it out already, I don’t have all night!’

‘...’

‘Well?’

‘...You wouldn’t happen to have 'n animal shelter or anythin’ in town?’

Tulip’s stomach turned sour and dropped. She scooped up the bottle and took a long drink.

‘Tulip?’

Her voice was a little rough. ‘I’ll head over in the morning.’

‘Thank you.’

She shuddered. ‘Don’t. Don’t thank me.’ She drank again, finished what was left of her dwindling cigarette and got up from the floor, taking the pot, bottle and carton with her. ‘I’m gonna go wash my skirt.’

**Author's Note:**

> im not coping with the last two weeks of pain and my own self loathing by imparting it upon my faves not at all ~~send help~~ #whereiscass


End file.
